Scene VIII.

Love for Love

by William Congreve

FORESIGHT, SCANDAL, MRS FORESIGHT, BEN LEGEND.

MRS FORESIGHT
Here's Mr Benjamin, he can tell us if his
father be come home.

BEN LEGEND
Who? Father? Ay, he's come home with a
vengeance.

MRS FORESIGHT
Why, what's the matter?

BEN LEGEND
Matter! Why, he's mad.

FORESIGHT
Mercy on us, I was afraid of this. And there's
the handsome young woman, she, as they say, brother Val went mad for,
she's mad too, I think.

FORESIGHT
Oh, my poor niece, my poor niece, is she gone too?
Well, I shall run mad next.

MRS FORESIGHT
Well, but how mad? How d'ye mean?

BEN LEGEND
Nay, I'll give you leave to guess. I'll
undertake to make a voyage to Antegoa--no, hold; I mayn't say so,
neither. But I'll sail as far as Leghorn and back again before you
shall guess at the matter, and do nothing else. Mess, you may take
in all the points of the compass, and not hit right.

MRS FORESIGHT
Your experiment will take up a little too much
time.

BEN LEGEND
Why, then, I'll tell you; there's a new wedding
upon the stocks, and they two are a-going to be married to rights.

SCANDAL
Who?

BEN LEGEND
Why, father and--the young woman. I can't hit of
her name.

SCANDAL
Angelica?

BEN LEGEND
Ay, the same.

MRS FORESIGHT
Sir Sampson and Angelica? Impossible!

BEN LEGEND
That may be--but I'm sure it is as I tell you.

SCANDAL
'Sdeath, it's a jest. I can't believe it.

BEN LEGEND
Look you, friend, it's nothing to me whether you
believe it or no. What I say is true, d'ye see, they are married, or
just going to be married, I know not which.

FORESIGHT
Well, but they are not mad, that is, not
lunatic?

BEN LEGEND
I don't know what you may call madness. But
she's mad for a husband, and he's horn mad, I think, or they'd ne'er
make a match together. Here they come.